I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: “I’ll Wash for You”

After Qi Xu finished speaking, the air fell silent for a few seconds. He and Chi Hui stared at each other until the latter finally looked away first.

Chi Hui pressed his hand to his forehead, unable to stop himself from letting out a helpless laugh. Qi Xu stared at the curve of the man’s lips, blinking his eyes; he didn’t think his request was excessive at all.

At that moment, a splashing sound came from the kitchen sink, drawing their attention back. Chi Hui bypassed Qi Xu and walked straight into the kitchen. Since his request hadn’t received an answer, Qi Xu silently followed.

In the sink, the fish—which Qi Xu had been “massaging” for ten minutes—seemed even more energetic. Chi Hui stood by the edge, clearly intending to do it himself. His right arm was still in a sling, and Qi Xu, worried it would be hard to manage one-handed, stepped forward to help.

Suddenly, Chi Hui reached out his left hand and made a casual grab in the water. The lively fish was pinned against the side of the sink; then, Chi Hui curved his index and middle fingers, hooking them deep into the gills and locking the head firmly. The fish that Qi Xu had struggled to catch was lifted out effortlessly.

Chi Hui’s palm was broad, his fingers long and symmetrical. Qi Xu stared at the back of his hand, where the bones and tendons were prominent from the effort. He suddenly remembered the 21.6cm hand-length statistic he’d heard from a fan during the interview; now, he had a very clear concept of what that looked like.

“Bring the cutting board over.” Chi Hui glanced at the distracted boy.

Qi Xu took a beat to react, then brought over the board and the knife. Chi Hui tossed the fish onto the board. Deprived of water, the fish flopped frantically, its gills gasping.

Chi Hui reached out to take the knife, but noticed Qi Xu was gripping the handle with both hands, staring at the struggling fish with a heavy, solemn expression. Every time the fish’s tail slapped the wood, Qi Xu’s long lashes trembled. Chi Hui found the sight hilarious.

“Do you want to keep going?” Chi Hui’s voice held a hint of playfulness.

Qi Xu blinked, looked up at Chi Hui, then down at the fish, and gave a very serious nod.

“…Fine.” Chi Hui chuckled and stepped aside.

Qi Xu moved in and pressed down on the fish. It suddenly bucked, startling him. Chi Hui wanted to see how long he’d last, only to see Qi Xu pressing his lips thin and scraping the blade against the scales in the wrong direction. The force wasn’t great—he only dislodged a few scales—but the irritated fish thrashed harder.

Water splashed all over Qi Xu, even catching Chi Hui standing nearby. Chi Hui didn’t even have time to dodge before he grabbed Qi Xu’s hand to stop him. “What are you doing?”

Qi Xu looked at him innocently. “Scraping the scales.”

“While it’s alive?”

Qi Xu blinked. Is there another way?

“Kill it first.” Chi Hui looked at the half-dead fish. Though the order of scaling depends on the person, with Qi Xu’s “technique,” it was better to give the creature a quick end.

Qi Xu, thinking he had the steps wrong, nodded obediently. “Use the back of the knife to knock it unconscious first and then…”

Before Chi Hui could finish, a loud THUD echoed as the blade slammed into the board. Qi Xu’s hand rose and fell in a flash. The head of the fish slid right off and landed in the sink, its unblinking eyes staring directly at Chi Hui.

“…” Chi Hui looked at Qi Xu.

Qi Xu slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the successfully severed head, his eyes lit up with joy. Chi Hui was terrified by the fact that he used a knife with his eyes closed. “…Forget it. I’ll do the rest.”

Qi Xu didn’t see anything wrong with what he did, but he happily handed the knife over. He wasn’t particularly keen on touching the slippery guts anyway.

Even with one hand, Chi Hui was very efficient. He gutted and scaled the fish in one smooth motion; he was clearly experienced in the kitchen.

“Then what should I do?” Qi Xu asked after watching those aesthetic hands for a while.

“Take the vegetables out of that other bag and wash them.”

This task was much simpler. Qi Xu started washing the nameless leafy greens while striking up a conversation. “Do you cook for yourself often? You look very skilled.”

“I do it when I’m not busy,” Chi Hui replied, glancing at the boy who was chatting with him so naturally.

Oh, he cooks. That really doesn’t match his outward appearance, Qi Xu mused.

A moment later, Chi Hui opened a topic: “Where is your hometown?”

Qi Xu’s hands paused. He answered hesitantly, “Over in the East City District.” His grandfather’s villa was there, so it counted. He couldn’t exactly tell the man he lived in the ultra-expensive luxury complex next door; he had to maintain his “poor person” persona to avoid being fired.

There were many villages in the East City District. Chi Hui nodded and went silent. But when he brought the cleaned fish back to the sink, the veins in his temple throbbed.

“What are you doing?”

In just a few hours, Chi Hui had asked this question countless times.

“Washing vegetables,” Qi Xu answered confidently, placing a washed leaf into the basket.

Chi Hui stared at his movements and closed his eyes. After a long silence, he asked, “…Did you lie?”

Qi Xu froze. Just as he was wondering how he’d been exposed, he heard a low voice from above: “You must have lied to Xu Changshu during the interview and said you could do housework.”

Otherwise, there was no way the manager would have hired someone who kneaded vegetables like they were laundry.

Qi Xu realized the misunderstanding and felt relieved he hadn’t been exposed as a rich kid. Chi Hui looked at the greens; although Qi Xu was washing them leaf by leaf, the vibrant green had been bruised into a dull color, looking like it had been spoiled for weeks.

“But I washed them very clean,” Qi Xu argued, feeling a bit indignant.

“Fine. You’re the one eating this dish later.”

Qi Xu licked his lips. “Oh, are you cooking for me?”

Chi Hui: “…” He felt a strange sense of powerlessness, as if even if he slapped this boy, the boy would just try to lick his hand.

While Qi Xu finished up, Chi Hui quickly prepped the seasonings. After finally washing every leaf, Qi Xu faced a new crisis: no matter how long he soaked his hands, the fishy smell remained. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and pumped a large glob of soap, but the soap only added a floral scent over the fishy smell, making it even weirder.

Chi Hui was slicing lemons. Noticing the boy’s crumpled expression and his red, over-scrubbed hands, he handed over a few lemon slices.

Confused, Qi Xu held the slices, blinking. He thought for a few seconds and then stood perfectly still. Hmm, I guess I’m a lemon holder now.

When Chi Hui finished and turned around, he saw the boy standing motionless behind him like a pedestal. “Do you want me to hold the rest too?” Qi Xu asked.

Chi Hui was becoming accustomed to his bizarre logic. He didn’t even have the energy to explain. He simply grabbed both of Qi Xu’s hands and pulled him to the sink.

The lemon slices were crushed between their three hands, bursting with juice. The fresh, acidic scent instantly cleared the air. Qi Xu’s eyes widened.

Chi Hui ignored the confusion, took the slices from Qi Xu’s palms, and squeezed every last drop of juice onto their hands, rubbing them together. Chi Hui’s palms were large enough to easily envelop both of Qi Xu’s hands. His fingertips were slightly rough, and his movements weren’t exactly gentle; Qi Xu’s skin quickly turned pink.

It wasn’t until the fishy smell was completely gone that Qi Xu realized what was happening. He stared at their intertwined hands and let out a soft laugh.

Chi Hui, leaning slightly over Qi Xu from behind, heard the laugh and turned his head. He had been so focused on the smell that he only now realized how close they were. So close that when Qi Xu turned back to look at him, his gentle breath brushed against the corner of Chi Hui’s lips.

Qi Xu’s eyes curved. “Our hands feel like they’ve become an ingredient too.”

Chi Hui’s gaze swept over Qi Xu’s moving lips. He looked away awkwardly and took a step back. “Alright. Just rinse them off.”

He withdrew his hand, but before he could pull back completely, Qi Xu grabbed it. Qi Xu turned on the faucet. “I’ll wash for you.”

The cool water hit the back of his hand, making Qi Xu flinch, but he quickly grabbed Chi Hui’s hand again. Palm, fingertips, between the fingers. Qi Xu’s hands were very soft, like a delicate little sponge, carefully rubbing every inch.

Chi Hui stared at Qi Xu’s lowered eyes and unconsciously swallowed.

“All done!”

Qi Xu quickly rinsed both their hands and then impatiently brought them to his nose to sniff. His warm breath brushed over Chi Hui’s fingers. Chi Hui’s hand curled instinctively.

“Amazing, the smell is really gone.” Qi Xu held Chi Hui’s wrist, not noticing that the other man had gone very quiet.

Chi Hui’s lips moved, but before he could speak, a chime came from the balcony. The washing machine was finished. Qi Xu let go of his wrist and checked his phone, realizing it was already noon.

“I’ll go get the clothes!”

Qi Xu ran off like a happy little sparrow. He didn’t wait for an answer because he was terrified Chi Hui would make him cook.

Staring at Qi Xu’s retreating back, Chi Hui’s hand at his side rubbed his fingers together slightly.